Westpac

Hi! I’m Neha, a 2025 Graduate and part of the Technology Rotational Graduate programme. I studied a Bachelor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Auckland in New Zealand. Outside of work, I love to run, read, stay active, hang out with my friends and play the game of tourist in Sydney. 

What is unique about your ‘Uncommon Mind’?

My ‘Uncommon Mind’ embraces change and explores diverse paths with curiosity and resilience. It started in neuroscience, pivoting to biomedical engineering, and has gone through an early existential crisis which taught me not to let a degree define my career. I continuously redefine success on my own terms, embracing the unique experiences that shape me. Outside of work, I have interests and experiences that have helped me grow, develop and have broadened my perspective of the world around me.

Why did you apply for a graduate role at Westpac, and why your chosen business area?

I was actually drawn to Westpac because of the Uncommon Minds campaign and the strong graduate culture. I knew my degree would allow me to bring a unique and fresh perspective to the organisation.

I chose the Technology stream because Technology represents the future. It's a vast, ever-evolving field that drives innovation across every industry, shaping how we live, work, and connect worldwide. I was particularly interested in seeing how a major bank like Westpac, would use technology to innovate and evolve.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac?

Yes! I’ve been working on a newly started project. It’s in Cybersecurity Strategy and the project is about improving security fixes and processes to effectively manage security weaknesses across the bank.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind, how do you manage work/life balance?

I try to establish clear boundaries to ensure I make time for the things I enjoy, whether that’s before or after work. For example, I might go for a run with friends early in the morning to try catch the sunrise over Barangaroo (because I genuinely enjoy this). I also plan dinners or activities with friends after work, which gives me something to look forward to throughout the day. 

Please sum up your Grad experience (to date) in three words.

Seize every opportunity. 

What Grad Program stream were you in?

Technology (Specialist Areas) – Cybersecurity.

What was the first 6 months like?  What did you really enjoy?

I felt very welcomed and was given a lot of support by those in my team and my division. It was heartwarming to see how everyone was excited about getting to know a new team member. The highlight of the 6 months was the coffee meet-and-greets, where I had the chance to connect with colleagues in a more relaxed setting. I also really enjoyed the freedom in choosing the direction of my Grad Program journey; we had the choice of securing our next rotation ourselves or to select from a list of opportunities. It was empowering to have a level of control over our career development.

Was your position with the Westpac Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

It surpassed my expectations, to be honest. I received so many insights and advice from my Grad Buddy, mentors from the team and across the division. I was not expecting to meet my Grad Buddy, and my first rotational Manager and colleagues before I started the Grad Program, which made me feel at ease in my first week. Most of all, I was really surprised about how almost everyone in the Cybersecurity division had been a former Grad and to me, that says a lot about the strong workplace culture.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind, what is the longest day you had to put in and did you work weekends at all?

I have been lucky enough to not have worked a long day past the typical 9am-5pm or weekends. I was able to shift and split my 9am-5pm hours to fit university in between.

On a day-to-day basis, what did you work on?

My first rotation was with the Application Security team so my day-to-day involved being upskilled in source code reviews to find vulnerabilities, and technical consultations with developers. My second rotation was with the Red Team – unfortunately, I cannot say much about my day-to-day due to confidentiality, but every day was an exciting challenge!

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac, if yes, what projects?

I worked on a project with three other Grads that were in the same division as me, but from different teams. It was a project to identify any inefficiencies in the current processes across the division, and to come up with suggestions on how these processes could be improved. This was a great opportunity for us to really get to know the ins-and-outs of our division, and to make our mark.

What systems did you use for your role in the graduate program?

I got to learn how to use administrative systems like Jira for day-to-day tasks or project tracking, and Confluence to document processes and meeting minutes. For source code reviews, I learnt to use Jenkins, Artifactory and Fortify.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac?

I am blown away by the immense support provided at Westpac. From the initial offer to the completion of the program, I always had a reliable support network to consult. This included a Grad Buddy, a mentor from both my teams and the wider Cybersecurity division, People Leader from my teams, weekly check-ins with my managers, and guidance from two Grad Program managers. Colleagues from various teams also provided invaluable assistance. I am grateful for all the support I have received during my time throughout the Grad Program, as it has helped me grow and succeed.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role, and do they differ from what you envisioned?

To succeed in any role in Cybersecurity, I believe two of the most important skills to possess is resilience and adaptability because we are constantly challenged by the evolving threat landscape as a major bank. When I first started, I envisioned programming skills as the most important skill to succeed, but our ability to bounce back from difficulties, and our willingness to learn is more valuable when solving problems, we have not come across before.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac?

There are a lot of perks and benefits in working at Westpac such as purchased leave in case your annual leave does not cover your entire holiday period, flexible working arrangements, and complimentary travel insurance on international flights for specific Westpac credit cards. Westpac’s headquarters has a basement carpark, which is pretty good for those who prefer to drive to work.

Can you let us know what company you are working for and which area of the business you work in or which rotation you are currently in?

Risk 

What was the first 6 months like?  What have you really enjoyed? 

The first 6 months were really enjoyable not only from a professional growth perspective but also because I got to meet a lot of new people and make a lot of  friends through the program. In addition the first 6 months were also very challenging but equally rewarding, getting to understand how the bank operates and the intricacies of banking particularly with respect to risk management and its impact on our customers was very interesting, but it did take some time to get used to this new thought process. I have really enjoyed the entirety of the program but I think two standouts have been, the wide variety of work that I have been able to do, right from day 1 there has been no idle moment, where the tasks which I have been working toward, do not make a difference to the bank, its customers and its purpose. The second standout has been the involvement I have had in the graduate committee, particularly the graduate magazine “GradWrap”. Being part of a diverse team of grads who get to pen articles every two months has been an amazing experience not only in terms of the skills I have acquired, but the amazing people I have met.

Was your position with the Westpac Grad Program as you expected it to be? Did anything take you by surprise?

The position of a risk graduate was as I expected both in terms of the program and the work that we do, nothing surprising, as everything was made quite clear during the recruitment process in terms of what we could expect through the program i.e. support, rotations, post program opportunities. In addition, since I have joined these expectations have only been made more clear, so that the grads can truely focus on making the most of the program and developing a wide range of skills useful for their future careers. In terms of the work performed, I had a vague idea of how risk management works in general but I had never been exposed to it, in such a complex manner. It was a bit surprising to see the reliance of data that all risk teams have, even ones that many would deem as the qualitative risks.

Everyone is keen on maintaining work/life balance, with that in mind what is the longest day you have put in and have you worked weekends at all?

I have never had to work a weekend. The longest day I have worked, might have been till 8:30pm but that was only a one off.

On a day to day basis, what do you work on?

In risk typically you are doing one of three things within your team and with other colleagues in the bank. Regular oversight/control: This varies from team to team and can encompass running daily reports, developing models, writing memos or chairing daily meetings to convey to the wider business, what their risks are looking like. This is crucial, as it gives the business comfort, that the activities they are undertaking whether it be lending, transacting or even working toward tailored client solutions is being done in a controlled manner which is acceptable to the bank and in the interests of customers/stakeholders. These type of periodic oversight tasks usually culminate in either a weekly or monthly update to a wider part of the bank, so they are informed. In addition, there are many teams who do various types of these oversight activities, but could be in various forms, for example one team might perform controls and issues management, where as another team might produce a snapshot of the banks lending risks etc.

Process improvement/ projects/ insight: There is a big emphasis in risk management for us to always be optimising our processes to ensure we are capturing the most accurate information and thus presenting the clearest picture about the banks risk position to our stakeholders. These process improvement tasks usually take a longer time and could involve, designing new processes such as BI dashboards to convert manual reports to automated one. Alternatively it could be working towards a new policy or decisioning tool which could be used by one of our customer serving teams to help them make better decisions.

Working on bank wide projects: Another common task within risk is usually being a representative for risk on a larger project or strategic initiative the bank is working toward, whilst I have not been on any large ones myself, I know it is a very common thing for many risk staff to be a part off. Ensuring that all the initiatives the bank is looking to develop have input from teams who specialise in their respective area i.e. risk, finance, marketing etc.

Overall the work in risk is varied, but as a grad you will typically work on whatever the team is currently doing, some teams do not have daily oversight but do their tasks on a weekly or monthly basis, so in those you will be part of their projects or even get to run some of your own.

Have you worked on any projects at Westpac?

During my rotations I have worked on projects such as:

• Working on data validation tools and process to help teams mitigate key risks around data quality and validation.
• Working on developing BI dashboards to help teams better understand how they can leverage qualitative data to get a better overview of where the gaps are in their processes and provided clearer paths to action.

What systems do you use for your role in the graduate program?

Like most workplaces, Microsoft office is the base for all tasks, in addition to that teams typically use customised systems which could be internally developed as well. In general most work is done on the office suite.

What sort of support are you provided at Westpac?

The support received here is phenomenal, at every stage of the program right from accepting the offer, there has been extensive support provided. In terms of specifics, the support from work is excellent, especially in these trying times, there hasn’t been a moment, where employee safety and concerns haven’t been at the forefront of a decision made by the management. In terms of specifics, the bank offers a wide variety of programs right from vaccine roll out initiatives in recent times, to providing the right resources for you should you need them whatever the need may be.

In addition the wider teams which coordinate the graduate program are absolute aces, every question no matter how big the ask, is dealt with, to ensure that all grads feel welcomed. In terms of support from leaders, this is also really good, direct leaders are always open to hear your concerns and help you reach your goals whatever direction they may take. In addition, the leaders at the bank are always open and approachable - something I find always adds an extra layer of support should you need it.

What skills do you think you need to succeed in your role and do they differ from what you envisioned?

There are many skills which I think would be useful in the role of a graduate such as critical thinking, teamwork, communication, presentation, stakeholder management and many more. However there is one I think is most key and that is communication, but it's not just about writing an email or presenting a powerpoint or an idea, to succeed I think, engaging in active communication is essential. This is where, when you  tailor your communication style to suit the counter-party, sometimes there are people who like to be straight to the point, where as other times there are people who like to have a more casual chat before getting into the business of the day. Hence being able to tailor your communication style from time to time is very helpful in cultivating a positive working relationship.

I knew I would need all the mentioned skills above, but what I didn’t realise was how deeply integrated they were with one another till, I started working, as in university you are really trying to hone them one by one, but at work, often it is their combination which is the most powerful.

What are the best perks or benefits at Westpac?

A lot of perks, right from discounts to having in place support for a variety of situations which might need you to take leave. In addition there are a range of perks such as flexible working arrangements, access to other leading offerings to do with wellbeing, and a whole lot more!